A Picture's Worth
by Kittyclaw
Summary: Drabble Collection. Each drabble is based on a randomly given prompt. Current Prompt: Plague.
1. Picture

Drabble #1  
Prompt: Picture  
Begin Date: Septemeber 3  
End Date: Septemeber 12  
Special Details: None  
Author's Note: So, this is a brilliant ongoing project in which I'm learning to be more particular in the words I choose to string together. It's also a project in using the first person, since I've suddenly found myself writing first person for everything I've worked on in the last two weeks. I'm excited. I didn't do this drabble by the deadline, but I still got an idea that I couldn't resist.

* * *

She holds the tiny, gilded frame in her hands, eyes reflected in the glass.

"This is mine?" she asks.

"Of course it is," Jeremy says. He hesitates a moment, then asks, "you like it, don't you?" Aelita looks up at him, her expression slightly startled, but it is Odd who answers for her.

"Of course she does, Jer," he says, throwing an arm around his fellow blonde's shoulders.

"What are you, her mouth piece?" Ulrich asks.

While the pair begins wrestling on the floor, Aelita hugs the photograph of her friends, all sitting together, to her chest, and she smiles.


	2. Dark Instinct

Drabble #2  
Prompt: Dark Instinct  
Begin Date: Septemeber 13  
End Date: Septemeber 20  
Special Details: None  
Author's Note: This is a look at the direction my first multi-chap fic, Toy Soldiers, was originally meant to take.

* * *

Odd crouches low, cloaked in the shadows, his lithe body pressed against the cliff's smooth side. His tail, its tip twitching the rhythm of a predator stalking his pray, is the only movement from the warrior. His eyes are trained on a distant point, where three figures stand—two armed with swords and one, a female with dark hair, holding twin steel fans. Odd's gaze leaves them for a moment, finds Aelita's teal orbs. A slight shake of her head, _Next time_ it says, and Odd snarls, his eyes flashing with Xana's mark before the pair vanishes into the shadows.


	3. A Different Meeting

Drabble #3  
Prompt: A Different Meeting (read special details).  
Begin Date: September 21  
End Date: September 25  
Special Details: The Lyoko Warriors never fought on Lyoko. Show them meeting or being together (they don't even have to know each other). The rest is up to your creative judgment. They could be enemies, even better friends, couples, or maybe have never even been to Kadic.  
Author's Note: I really liked this one :) I couldn't picture the gang all still friends without the common thing of Lyoko bringing them together though. Included Milly and Tamia at the end because someone has to find the thing.

* * *

On Kadic's soccer pitch, Ulrich Stern dibbles the ball through a complex series of plays before kicking it into the goal, his teammates cheering around him.

In the library, Jeremy Belpois pours over a thick text as he prepares to take his college entrance exams three years early.

In the art room, Odd Dell Robbia grins to himself, painting the last brush stroke of his latest masterpiece.

Out on the courtyard bench, Yumi Ishiyama leans against her boyfriend, William Dunbar holding her gently.

In an abandoned factory, Milly and Tamia find an old computer, and, begin to power it up.


	4. Twelve

Drabble #4  
Prompt: Twelve  
Begin Date: September 26  
End Date: October 2 (I think)  
Special Details: None  
Author's Note: I know this is probably a rather obvious interpretation of the prompt, but it's the first thing that came to mind. I really like the hero idea that it turned into, and I love that Jeremy got some focus in this on.

* * *

When he was little, and tucked away beneath a bed sheet tent with his teddy bear and flashlight, Jeremy read comic books. He poured over the brightly colored pages, eyes wide behind thick glasses that kept sliding down his nose, and idolized the powerful men and women, clad in brightly colored capes, who stopped all the bad guys from taking over the world.

And, when he was little, Jeremy decided that one day he would be a superhero too.

Of course, in his version he did more than sit behind a giant computer.

And he wasn't only twelve years old.


	5. Someone, Catch The Monster!

Drabble #5  
Prompt: Quote- "Someone, catch that monster."  
Begin Date: October 3  
End Date: October 10  
Special Details: None  
Author's Note: I love this drabble a lot. It's inspired by my time working with RenaYumi on her April Fool's series, if you couldn't tell by the library and the paint XP If you want to laugh a lot, I very much suggest checking out that series. It's amazing.

* * *

Jeremy sat at the library table, eyes on his laptop as he typed. Beside him, Aelita worked on her English report, chewing the end of her pen. "Could I borrow some paper?" Theo asked the group. Yumi, continuing to read her textbook, handed him a few sheets.

And then somewhere a door slammed, and Ulrich appeared at their table, paint splattered and asking if they'd seen Odd.

"…We're in the library," Jeremy responded flatly. Ulrich nodded his understanding, and then hurried away again. Everyone returned to work for a few silent minutes, before Jeremy sighed contentedly.

"Happy April First, everyone."


	6. Miss Popularity

Drabble #6  
Prompt: Miss Popularity  
A/N: I've decided to play catch-up with the drabble challenge on Xana's Lair. If you're ever looking for a place to find writing ideas, fanfics to read, or just some awesome Code Lyoko lovers to talk to, that's the place to look. Anyway, this one was supposed to be about Sissi, if I remember correctly, so I did it about her anyway. Enjoy~!

* * *

She has it all.

The cheerleaders, with salon'ed nails and fashionable dresses, brimming with gossip. The jocks, all cocky grins and muscles flexed as they lounge around her table. Lips laugh and bodies lean together to hug. All around are smiles.

It looks the same—like secret keepers and I-will-still-be-by-your-side-for-years-to-come.

Yet when she looks up, just in time to see a brown haired boy and his purple clad friend slip silently from the cafeteria, Sissi is reminded, just once more.

It can only ever _look _the same as friendship_._


	7. Future Aelita

Drabble #7  
Prompt: Future Aelita  
A/N: Inspired by RenaYumi's new piece "Other Job Business," because you know there's more to Jim than meets the eye.

* * *

A gaping, blackened hole marks of one half of the building, the other in shambles, lost somewhere between rusting tin and crumbling cinderblock encasing a rotting core of half-dismantled computers spilling wire guts across mud caked cement.

"Here we are," Jim whispers. "This is where Franz first made it."

She'd imagined somewhere a lot…cleaner, for one. But as she stares up at the abandoned military warehouse, no longer kept from her by I'll-tell-you-when-you're-older's, all she feels is wonder.

After all, could she really be surprised?

The reminants of destruction made, for Xana, quite a fitting birthplace.


	8. Halloween

Drabble #8  
Prompt: Halloween  
A/N: It's prompts like this that make new to earth Aelita so fun to write.

* * *

Aelita stares at the knife in Ulrich's hand and the giant fruit in Odd's and states that she knows they're lying to her.

When Yumi shows up at the boys' dorm two hours later, ignoring spilled pumpkin seeds, in cat ears and whisker makeup Aelita remains unconvinced.

A little later Jeremy explains from inside a paint-decorated cardboard box (those assembled claim it's a computer) and Aelita thinks Earth is a stranger place than she ever imagined.

A few hours, a pair of costume wings, and a pail of candy later Aelita thinks she might just like this strangeness after all.


	9. Future Jeremy

Drabble #9  
Prompt: Future Jeremy  
A/N: Papa Jeremy is adorable and you all know it.

* * *

"Just one more turn, and…all fixed!"

Jeremy hands the toy, wrapped in electrical tape and carefully applied band-aids, to the blonde at his feet.

"Thank you daddy!" he squeaks through missing front teeth, then he's tearing out of the room, off to join the wild Della Robbia kids in another remote controlled car battle royal.

As Jeremy watches his son's retreating back, his thinks to himself that fixing toy cars sure isn't fixing world saving super computers.

He catches one more gap-toothed grin before his son vanishes outside.

No, not quite saving the world.

But he can live with that.


	10. Nerves

Drabble: XL Olympics #1  
Prompt: Nerves  
A/N: So, at the forum Xana's Lair we've started the XL Olympics. It's like our own sporting events, except writing and art instead of physical activity. This is part of the daily drabble challenge, although there are others to compete in. If you like to write in groups or with competition, you should certainly check it out!

* * *

Xana thinks about nerves and the fact that _children_ have the nerve to challenge him and his future rule over Earth.

The warriors think about nerves and fact that they spend every moment jumping at strange sounds, staring at cell phones, waiting for the end of a war they know they may never win.

The people of Earth think about nerves, but never will they think about the nerves of a group of children, whose nerves of steel allow them to fight and protect these oblivious people, saving them from unimaginable dangers.

It's incredible, all the nerves these children have.


	11. Returnings

Drabble #10  
Prompt: Returnings  
A/N: So. I like this one. A lot. Let me know how you think I did!

* * *

The bespectacled blonde sighs, fingers trailing dusty keys. Green eyes follow lines in the dust.

"Are we sure it's him?" A question whispered from the freight elevator. He's asked once. Twice.

Over and over.

But the answer is always the same.

"It's him, Odd."

"It's been so long." Spoken softly, from the side of their silent warrior. "Do you think we can still do it?"

"We have to," she whispers, green eyes determined. Slowly the others straighten, join them by a computer screen beginning to glow with life.

"We can do this," the blonde whispers. "We'll never let Xana win."


	12. Start

Drabble: XL Olympics #2  
Prompt: Start  
A/N: This one felt so optimistic at first, I'm not sure when it turned so...not.

* * *

She turns, and it's all in slow motion as green eyes find terrified brown. His lips scream her name, no sound comes out. Blood seeps through his fingers because the wounds suddenly all too real. Yumi lies nearby, unmoving. Odd was lost to the digital sea before they ever made it Earth-side.

And now tentacles curl around her, and she wants to think they'll save her like they always do but this is Earth, not Lyoko—the rules have changed.

Everything changed.

It's the beginning of the end, and now there's nothing any of them can do to stop it.


	13. Rush

Drabble: XL Olympics #3  
Prompt: Rush  
A/N: Something light, because we all went angstangstangst with the last prompt. Let me know what you think!

* * *

It's a rush, a roar, filling her ears, shaking the air, and suddenly they're hurtling along and it's not at all like they said it would be. It's nothing like the Overboard—she has no control here—or like the Overwing—that rides smooth and low—or the Overbike—that's fast and fun and, like them all, she's driving. Or someone she trusts.

Her friends grin her way, and she clutches Jeremy and Yumi's hands as her stomach drops and so does the ground.

It's not the rush she expected, and she thinks maybe she doesn't like flying after all.


	14. Friendship

Drabble #11  
Prompt: Friendship  
A/N: The idea of the LW's on a roadtrip is on Rena and I loved playing with, so I dedicate this drabble to her.

* * *

"Ulrich, stop changing the station."

"No one wants to listen to that noise."

"It's not noise, it's…sophisticated."

"Techno is not sophisticated." Ulrich reaches for the radio and Odd blocks him, but the song still changes. Soft violin notes fill the air.

"What—Jer!"

"Driver's choice, remember?"

Odd gapes while Ulrich presents their journey contract—the fourth time in two hours. A pause, then—

"Whatever." Odd sulks, knows he's beat. "You know, I think you made that contract just so I couldn't have any fun."

Aelita and Yumi stifle giggles but its Jeremy who responds.

"I see nothing wrong with that."


	15. Bronze

Drabble: XL Olympics #4  
Prompt: Bronze  
A/N: I like this one, but I'm not sure if I managed it okay. Please let me know what you think!

* * *

They tell themselves it's like sports—they didn't win, per-say, but they did their best and that's what counts. They pretend that deactivating the tower is worth the Gold, making it after they've lost a life is only barely Silver. They tell themselves these things, because it makes futility feel like victory.

Futility because they know, in the end, they won't win—not against this. The game was always rigged, only third place up for grabs.

In the game of Lyoko, deactivating the tower is Gold.

Deactivating it after a loss is Silver.

And there's no such thing as Bronze.


	16. Like the Movies

Drabble #12  
Prompt: Like the Movies  
A/N: I love this prompt. Like prompt 5, it's inspired by RenaYumi's April Fool 6. Go read it.

* * *

Aelita stares at the screen, confusion scribbled across her face. Yumi's stopped watching, nose in a book, and Sissi might be asleep. On the floor Ulrich and Timothy exchange high fives when the movie's hero does something heroic, which is often. He's currently fighting six sharks barehanded.

"I don't get it," Aelita says. "That man has three guns. Why won't use them?"

"He's using his guns," Ulrich says. Aelita answers with confusion and the boys, grinning, flex their arms and high five again.

"Don't," Yumi says, before Aelita can ask.

"But what—?" Yumi only shrugs.

"It's a guy thing."


	17. Silver

Drabble: XL Olympics #5  
Prompt: Silver  
A/N: Also part of the universe RenaYumi created where Jim was all kinds of in the know. In the words of Soul_Jelly, it's part of my headcannon now.

* * *

A country gives its soldiers medals for all kinds of reasons: selflessness or bravery or courage. It gives out medals for ingenuity, determination, for acts of valor and for reasons that no one can ever know about.

This medal, shaped like olive branches and hung from a strip of soft purple ribbon, stands for all of those things and more.

As Jim looks into that silver surface he wonders if losing his friends and dismantling their families was worth the valor of destroying a program cloaked in secrets. Wonders, but never asks.

After all, he'd rather not talk about it.


	18. Gold

Drabble: XL Olympics #6  
Prompt: Gold  
A/N: Last of the Medal prompts for the XLO drabbles. Might also be my fave.

* * *

In this kind of war there's no silver lining. But there's something else, hidden in moments almost forgettable.

It's in a momentary look of wonder in green eyes that, in an act once thought impossible, returned to Earth. It's in the fleeting shadow of a blush neither thought they'd feel again. In the blonde who manages to see adventure in every unexpected fight and one who, despite the odds, turns even the hardest loss into something that can feel like victory.

It's not a silver lining, but in those tiny moments they see something much more golden.

They see _hope_.


	19. Fly

Drabble: XL Olympics #7  
Prompt: Fly  
A/N: And that's all the XLO drabbles up to date! This one is set in the same universe as my fic Xanadu, as is SeemeintheShadows's drabble for Gold, if you're interested~

* * *

"Are you sure you can fly this thing?" Ulrich asks, as they look up at an airplane older than both of them.

"Do you doubt my ability to fly?" William asks. Ulrich shrugs, motions to the aging machine.

"I doubt that things ability to fly."

"Fair point," William concedes. It is an old plane, but she's his pride and joy. "Don't worry, when the time comes she'll be ready. You'll be over the border in no time."

Ulrich nods once, stuff his hands in his pockets, and walks away.

William only trusts the plane—Ulrich doesn't trust them at all.


	20. Persevere

Drabble: XL Olympics #8  
Prompt: Persevere  
A/N: So, this is the last XLO drabble I did. It's based on my fic "To Fall From Grace," which is about the CL's final fight against Xana. This is what takes place before the end, so it's kind of spoilerish if you'd ever planned to read that behemoth of a fanfic (I wouldn't blame you if you didn't, of course). POV is Odd, thinking about Jer, Aelita, Ulrich, Yumi, and victory or defeat.

* * *

He keeps running (because _he_ can't, lost to water, fire, darkness), maneuvering the dark and twisting passageway, so alien and yet so intimately familiar. He carries their victory inside himself (because _she_ can't, their first victory as lost as the scraps of her once beautiful form) and despite protests he will do whatever it takes to deliver it. He reminds himself over and over that it's to save them (but _they_ are jumping, falling, to embrace death) because someone should walk away from this.

But then he finds himself on Earth and has to accept the painful truth.

He's failed.


	21. Thirteen

Drabble #13  
Prompt: Thirteen  
I think it's very likely that Aelita's birthday could have been lost in the confusion, and that she'd resent Xana for it, along with all of the other things he's taken from her.

* * *

When Aelita was materialized they didn't know she had a past, only that she was new and they wanted her to feel at home. So they'd remembered the first time she opened her eyes in their world. A year later they had a cake for Aelita's first birthday on Earth.

Later they learn she has a real birthday, so they celebrate that too. It's her fourteenth birthday, her thirteenth lost in the uncertainty of a stolen past.

Jeremy says birthdays prove she's a real human, but Aelita never truly believes this.

Real humans never have their birthdays stolen from them.


	22. Friendship and Food

Drabble #14  
Prompt: Friendship and Food  
I love this prompt, it's so darn cute! They're all so cute. Forever.

* * *

Aelita is confused by the tradition, at first. They call it _bonding_ and _time when you don't worry about world saving_ and _rest and relaxation_, respectively. But she doesn't know what these mean, only that she's arrived at Odd and Ulrich's dorm to find it filled with cellophane wrapped food and a television screen someone's lugged out of somewhere. Patting a spot on the pillow and blanket piled bed, her friends invite her to join them in their Earth tradition.

Ten years, a couple of kids, and miles between them, and the gang still meets for the occasional movie night.


	23. Project

Drabble: Summer Santa #1  
Prompt: Project  
So, this was a while ago, but we did a Summer Santa at Xana's Lair. It's like a secret santa, but not at Christmas time. Anyway, as part of my gift I wrote a series of Aelita-centric drabbles for my giftie. Here's the first~

* * *

He knew little about project Carthage, other than it needed a lot of scientists and a lot of military personnel guarding those scientists. Scientists who disagreed with the project, planned a rebellion, one he wanted no part of.

Until the day the soldier, against orders, told him _exactly_ what the project was for.

Until the day he held his little girl in his arms for the first time.

And suddenly he knew—knew he didn't know much, but he knew the kind of world he wanted to leave for his daughter.

And so, if only for her, he rebelled too.


	24. Christmas

Drabble #15  
Prompt: Christmas  
Despite being Christmas themed and Aelita themed, this one isn't part of the summer santa series. Just Aelita sharing a moment with her parents.

* * *

They creep down the stairs—_careful on the creaky step, she might hear us_—and pass by the plate—_she put it out all by herself_—and know they'll come back for its treats—_cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer—_but first they stop by the tree.

They place each parcel under decorated boughs—_she put most of these on by herself_—organizing them into castles of bright paper and bows. One gift—_she'll love it_—gets placed at the front.

In the morning she'll name him Mr. Puck.

It's a memento of a Christmas she'll never have again.


	25. Resolution

Drabble #16  
Prompt: Resolution  
Why do I write these things that are sad? I don't know. I blame the XL'ers, we tend to do angst in waves.

* * *

Smoke coils over the crumpled, smoldering remains of the city. Rubble shifts, a small animal darts into the street. A flash of red lights the air, and the animal falls, dead. A soft clanking sound, growing steadily louder, follows and with a mechanical whir, a Krabe leans into view. It tilts forward, inspects the dead creature before continuing through the rubble, crumbled city wreckage shifting in its wake.

They gave everything to the fight, held on tooth and nail till the bitter end.

It's not the resolution they fought for, but they're gone now, so it doesn't really matter anymore.


	26. Last Call

Drabble #17  
Prompt: Last Call  
I'm kind of obsessed with the idea of what would happen if someone told the world about Lyoko.

* * *

They told.

Jeremy, actually. He broke the secret and soon the military seized Lyoko. He told the others it was to protect them, but it only brought fights and soon they were scattered to the wind. Jeremy works with the scientists, Aelita runs from the agents. Ulrich stays, fights in uniform, Yumi goes to Japan, never looks back. No one can find Odd.

Then the darkness breaks free.

A phone rings, the last Xana call they'll ever make.

"On last fight?" he asks, she whispers. He sighs, she cries, he reappears. Then,

"On last fight," they whisper back, "For you."


	27. Whole

Drabble: Summer Santa #2  
Prompt: Whole  
More summer santa drabbles. I love the Hopper family, I really do.

* * *

She was three, and the snow came up to her thighs as she pranced through it, undaunted. At his side Antea laughed, fingers curled tightly within his as they watched their daughter's snowy dance.

One day she would know the truth about her family, about how they hid deep the mountains from a past Franz could only pray they'd escaped.

But right now she toddled ahead of her parents, following snowcapped trails through winter woods and, for a moment, Franz could forget his past.

For now he had his family, safe and whole, and that's all he needed to know.


	28. Music

Drabble: Summer Santa #3  
Prompt: Music  
Love, love, love.

* * *

Tiny fingers tap ivory keys, marveling at the bright sounds they make. She can't match her father's melodies, not yet, but one day she might.

"What are you doing, little one?" a warm voice asks. She smiles as her joins her on the piano bench. "Like this," he says, gently positioning her hands.

Together they play a song, something short and simple, fingers tapping the keys in tandem.

"Very good!" he says when they finish and she wraps tiny arms around his waist, burying her face in his sweater and breaths in the scents of smells of wood-smoke and home.


	29. Blink of an Eye

Drabble #18  
Prompt: Blink of an Eye  
I liked this one, because I'm obsessed with Aelita's history and past and I love it.

* * *

In the blink of an eye, it all changes.

_ She opens her eyes, and she's on Earth._

_ He stumbles across an old computer and turns it on._

_ He wakes her one morning, tells her they have to run._

_ The school takes him as a teacher while he works in secret._

_ She looks up at him and tells him she's pregnant._

_ They offer him a secret military job and he accepts._

Aelita's life feels like it teeters on moments, so tiny, that could have been so different.

_She turns, sees her friends standing there._

She wouldn't change these moments for anything.


	30. Wax

Drabble: Summer Santa #4  
Prompt: Wax  
Why do I write all this sad fluffy goop? I don't know. I blame XL. And RenaYumi, thought I'm not yet sure why. Also Code Lyoko:Evolution, which is on youtube and made me melt into a happy puddle, go watch it.

* * *

She's four, and the kitchen is dark. She sits in her chair clutching her doll in her arms.

The singing begins, and she squirms in her seat. At the edge of the kitchen something glows, a golden halo of light that illuminates two faces, lips moving as they sing.

"Happy birthday, dear Aelita," they sing. Lights come on as they set the cake before her, "Happy birthday to you!"

"Make a wish!"

She blows the candles with all her might and with their smoky remains drifts away her wish, one filled with hope.

_Please let my family be happy forever._


	31. Fairy Tale

Drabble: Summer Santa #5  
Prompt: Fairy Tale  
I'm not sure if I was able to make this idea make sense, but I really wanted to look at how Aelita might feel about having a past that isn't full of memories that are just all her own like everyone else does.

* * *

There is one memory of her father she never shares with Jeremy.

They're sitting together in the living room, him in his arm chair and she playing on the floor by the fireplace. He's reading something to her, a fairy tale she thinks, from a collection her mother used to read to her from.

And, while he reads, he says something that might help them beat Xana for good.

Despite this she guards this memory carefully. She won't let them use it as a tool for their war.

Call her selfish, but it's the only untainted one she has left.


	32. Truth

Drabble: Summer Santa #6  
Prompt: Truth  
I love Aelita. And I don't know why, but I feel like she would have a nature loving side to her, don't you?

* * *

She wasn't actually asleep the whole time she was on Lyoko.

More than once Aelita left the safety of the tower (she was her father's daughter and curiosity flowed in her blood) although she never ventured far. Trees filled her view when she stepped out, and every time she marveled at their majesty.

Jeremy believed his greatest gift to Aelita was bringing her home to Earth.

She knew different, although she was never able to express just how much she appreciated the first time (or all those after) he took her for one of their endless walks in the woods.


	33. Repair Job

Drabble: Summer Santa #7  
Prompt: Repair Job  
Because they're cute and awkward and awkwardly cute.

* * *

Cheeks glow pink and they look away, gazes skittering off across the table. She fiddles with her drink, he rereads the menu.

Neither one of them can think of something to say on their first date.

After dinner, still fumbling for things to say, they go on a walk. It's Jeremy's idea, because he knows she likes walks and he needs to do _something_ to fix this night.

It turns out a walk was just the right idea, and that night Aelita goes to bed happy, eyes on the night's gift—a fresh picked flower—as she drifts to sleep.


	34. Event

Drabble: Summer Santa #8  
Prompt: Event  
Jeremy and Aelita are adroable and she should just DJ for life

* * *

It's her first big show and Aelita's convinced there's something bigger than butterflies in her stomach.

"Aelita?"

She turns and Jeremy's there and she throws her arms around him.

"Oh Jeremy," she says, "I don't think I can do this."

"Of course you can," Jeremy says, hugging her back. "You're just nervous, that's all."

"I know—"

"You'll be great," Jeremy says. "You're the best DJ I've ever seen."

"I'm the only one you've ever seen," but she's smiling and already feels better.

"Of course." Jeremy's smiling a smile for only her. "Why would I want to see anyone else?"


	35. What Else?

Drabble: Summer Santa #9  
Prompt: What else?  
The point of this one was supposed to be something like Aelita is struggling to understand the idea of depth behind actions and then experiencing them for the first time because I just love doing these kinds of things with new to Earth Aelita.

* * *

The first time they hold hands she revels in the feel of warm skin against her own, a new experience after Lyoko.

The first time they kiss she thinks it's a strange sensation, all kind of wet and silky skin, and yet it makes her feel like she has fireworks in her stomach.

The first time she says "I love you" she just doesn't get why humans put such stake in three little syllables.

The first time he says "I love you" she hears, in those words, every emotion filled thought he's not saying, and suddenly it all makes sense.


	36. Together

Drabble: Summer Santa #10  
Prompt: Together  
Just looking at who all of Aelita's friends are to her.

* * *

Odd encourages her to try new things, even things that get them splattered in something multi-colored or in trouble with Jim.

Jeremy sighs and chases after them, fretting and trying to keep her out of trouble.

Ulrich introduces her to less outrageous pastimes, like teaching her to dribble a soccer ball.

Yumi takes her home with her at the end of the day and together they lay on her bedroom floor and paint nails and talk boys.

It's not family in the traditional sense, but they're together, and they're happy.

And really, Aelita thinks, isn't that what family's all about?


	37. Lost

Drabble #19  
Prompt: Lost  
Because this is how I feel and I think this is totally a way this story could go and be believeable.

* * *

Somewhere along the way, they got turned around.

Maybe it was when Ulrich and Odd, without the return trips keeping things simple, confused their lies one too many times.

Maybe it was when Delmas, digging deeper into a group of students' slipping grades, noticed inconsistencies in Aelita's forged background.

Or maybe it was when Yumi accidently sent that email to the wrong person, or when Jeremy left the _almost_ empty thumb-drive in the library.

Or maybe it was when children much too young were left to save the world all alone.

Maybe it was inevitable that they would finally lose.


	38. Lucky Charm

Drabble #20  
Prompt: Lucky Charm  
I'm absolutely in love with Aelita's past and learning about it. And so this.

* * *

"What is that?" he asked, eyeing the pink haired girl and the silver charm she was hanging over his computer screen.

"My good luck charm," she said. She shifted, sidling up behind him. "I bet it would help you figure out those codes."

He balked playfully, allowing her to drape the necklace around his shoulders.

"We're close," he told her, leaning into warm arms.

"And then we leave," she whispered. Her stomach, still smooth, pressed against his back.

"I promise our daughter won't know this world, Antea," he whispered.

"I know, Waldo," he could hear her smile, "I believe you."


	39. I'd Rather Not Talk About It

Drabble #21  
Prompt: I'd Rather Not Talk About It  
My headcannon has become that Jim was totally in on the whole Project that lead into Carthage and Lyoko, etc, and that he knows all about Aelita before even she does.

* * *

It's a joke at this point—ask Jim anything, anything at all, and you can guarantee you'll find a story he'd rather not talk about. And yet, no one really wonders: exactly what is Jim leaving untold?

After all, no one asks about the knowing looks Jim gave Aelita when she first arrived on Kadic's campus.

No one asks why Jim is so accepting of Odd's reign of terror and Ulrich's flakiness.

No one asks why Jim lets Jeremy skip class, or lets Yumi sometimes stay the night.

They'll never know just how much Jim would rather not talk about.


	40. Hunger

Drabble #22  
Prompt: Hunger  
I don't know why, but I feel like Jeremy and the others would really struggle with the fact that, because of all of their dealings with Lyoko, Xana is kind of the only other person they spend this much time with, other than one another, and they would be afraid of having anything in common with it, like this for example.

* * *

It's the feeling in the pit of Aelita's stomach during her first night on Earth, one she's never felt before.

It's the yearning deep in Jeremy's heart as he skips another night of sleep, continuing his frantic search for a solution.

It's the burn in Odd's arms, Ulrich's legs, Yumi's hands, William's soul as they battle for an end.

It's the drive in Xana's programming, buried in snarled coding and pure evil, that they may never get rid of completely.

It's a hunger more primal than anything they've ever known, and it binds them closer than any friendship ever could.


	41. The Delmas Knows

Drabble #23  
Prompt: The Delmas Knows.  
All of the CLE episodes with the Kadic staff being super understanding and supportive of the gang are making me love them even more than I already did. And spawning things like this.

* * *

They're not as sneaky as they think.

The teachers notice when they know the answers to questions before they're asked.

The nurse notices, when she sees sleepless eyes when they're getting the sleep.

The gym coach notices, when they jump at every new sound.

And the principal notices, as he meets with them for random evaluations that aren't random.

They answer his questions with smiles, denials, but he knows better. They're hiding something, he doesn't yet know what, but he does know this.

They're not as sneaky as they think, because there's not much you can hide from Principal Delmas.


	42. Blink

Drabble #24  
Prompt: Blink  
Something must be wrong with me. Why else would I keep writing these guys failing D:

* * *

Blink.

Red bull's eyes flash across digital screens.

Blink.

Monsters, mechanical and insect-like, march across the landscape.

Blink.

A sword flashes, fans slice the air, an arrow flies.

Blink.

Bodies fall, hopes crushed within crumbling bones.

Blink.

Fingers curl, limp and cooling, in an unguarded hand.

Blink.

He stands alone, at the precipice, an enemy of tangled wires and boiling hate staring him down.

Blink.

A single eye, burning hatred, flashes, and lasers burn skin.

Blink.

Dust blows across five graves, unmarked, unknown.

Blink.

Those who remember freedom fall, trampled beneath a viral reign.

Blink.

And so the world falls.


	43. Pop

Drabble #25  
Prompt: Pop  
Okay, and the cute returns. Also the OxA because yes.

* * *

Even the sparkle of her glittered mask can't hide the brilliant green of eyes glowing with her smile and he ducks his head, cheeks flushing. A soft sound escapes her, light and happy, and she takes his hand and tugs him through trees woven with golden lights.

They're drunk on the warm night air and the light of fireflies and in the shadows of a wise and knotted oak they lean together and warm lips meet.

Something soft and fiery passes between them. He looks up and those eyes, full of everything she is, are the brightest lights of all.


	44. Wrinkle

Drabble #26  
Prompt: Wrinkle  
I love these three. Also I've noticed a growth for love in this triangle of friendship which I support whole heartedly.

* * *

He holds out the offending object and the skin across the bridge of her nose wrinkles as she pulls back.

"Odd, don't," she whines, while Yumi pulls away like it might burn her. And it might, already their eyes are threatening to water.

"Hey, you agreed to help," Odd defends, crossing his arms. The offending object flops wetly against his side and both girls squeal. Even Odd winces, frowning at the sock in his hand.

"I'm out," Yumi declares, heading for the door despite Odd's protests. "I don't care what Ulrich promised me, nothing is worth helping clean this room."


	45. Your Tale

Drabble #27  
Prompt: Your Tale  
Yep.

* * *

'No one is going to believe you' they tell him, looking sad and sympathetic. But that doesn't stop him or his pen, and Jeremy writes until he's wrung every last bitter memory out of his mind and onto paper. He types meticulously, checking and rechecking and despite their sighs the others help fill in the blanks he can't remember or wasn't there for.

When the book comes out no one buys, no one believes.

None but one as Jim sits down beside his fire, cracks open _Tales of Lyoko_ and finally discovers just what, exactly, they'd really been up to.


	46. Turning Tides

Drabble #28  
Prompt: Turning Tides  
Basically my headcannon story of Lyoko is that Xana wins, defeating the warriors who vanish into the night/maybe die/who knows and he takes over the world turning it into a real world Lyoko. Until ONE DAY when the heroes reamerge through the combined efforts of Yumi, William, poss Ulrich who are leading an underground rebellion, Jeremy who is idk, working with scientists somewhere, and Aelita and Odd who are doing who knows what but reappear when they're needed to help save the day. This is one of my many drabbles that taps into that.

* * *

Fifteen years ago the warriors fell, vanished, and left their home to Xana's brutal grasp. Now a once virtual landscape is all too real, absurdly vast expanses of unchanging scenery all crisscrossed with thick bundles of pulsing wires, rising and diving through the land like the endless coils of a writhing sea serpent, bundling into towers that dot the landscape.

Some have never known the world any different, children raised under a viral monarch, and it is one of these young people who sees it happen—

Sees when the first tower, a vermillion beacon of subjugation, turns to hope-filled white.


	47. Western Standoff

Drabble #29  
Prompt: Western Standoff  
Because everyone did this better than me so I just crammed people I love into this. Inspired by my oneshot "Laws of Fanfiction."

* * *

Odd sits with his arms crossed, tasseled fringes hanging from purple sleeves, and shakes his head. Ulrich frowns his agreement from under an oversized cowboy hat and Xana, still walking bowlegged, avoids the horses hovering nearby.

"Please?" Kitty asks, eyes hopeful.

"It's such a good idea," Shadows adds, and Kellys waves for them to do something. A cluster of pen-and-notebook wielding young people, all with nametags reading "XL's Author Team" hover behind them, looking expectant.

"No," Ulrich says flatly, continuing quickly when Kitty tries to keep begging, "You can just come up with another story idea. We're not doing Western."


	48. Computer Codes and Fans

Drabble #29  
Prompt: Computer Codes and Fans  
Because if you don't love Yumi/Jeremy friendship you're wrong.

* * *

They all have their person—that one somehow unexpected (despite their group closeness) friend who, when all others eyes are turned inward and ears turned off, will listen. Ulrich and Aelita huddle behind a secluded wall and whisper, Odd rolls about on William's floor and rants.

And Yumi, in the middle of the day, when she knows he's skipping class too, creeps in, unannounced, lays on his bed, and simply sighs.

_It's too much._

Fingers tap across a keyboard, pecking a response.

_It'll get better._

A sniff.

_Do you promise?_

The squeak of a chair turning, eyes on her.

_Promise._


	49. Eyes

Drabble #31  
Prompt: Eyes  
Because I haven't been giving William enough drabble love.

* * *

When he sleeps he dreams of eyes.

Red eyes, bright and pulsating, fill most of his nightly visions. They scare him, haunt him, chase him down through winding, cold blue hallways and when he tries to run away they are always waiting for him, like cats about to pounce. Always looming, these eyes terrify him.

Rarely different eyes fill his dreams. Blue and green, brown, gold and grey. They look down on him with frustration and surprise, contempt, confusion and concern.

Sometimes they're just as scary, but they scare away the red eyes too, and that's good enough for him.


	50. Second Chance

Drabble #31  
Prompt: Second Chance  
Oh Franz D: I love this drabble, and this whole idea.

* * *

He just wants to see his little girl's face again—always this thought as white light engulfs all.

The light fades—Franz sits behind the computer, fingers typing codes he hadn't finished when the return-trip kicked in.

_My second chance_, he used to think as time reversed.

He's long since stopped thinking it's a blessing—he's looping in time and he'll never see her again.

He's a wanted man, and his actions are noble, but he's also a father and the saddest truth is this:

He's ruined the first chance. He's trapped in the second.

He'll never get a third.


	51. The Road Not Taken

Drabble #33  
Prompt: The Road Not Taken  
The idea here is "What if Aelita hadn't run to the Hermatige, but just back to school?"

* * *

Her legs burn, paws pound the ground behind her, teeth snapping at her heels. The path ahead forks and she doesn't have time to think, just bolts left, praying it's not a dead end but the woods get really thick and she thinks she's hopelessly lost—

Then she's back at Kadic, having run a big circle. The wolves fade into shadows as she enters the courtyard.

She looks back only once, and finds herself overwhelmed by the feeling that she's left something behind in those woods. Sighing, she heads for the dorms, intent on finding Jeremy.

The feeling fades away.


	52. 2x50

Drabble #34  
Prompt: 2x50  
I thought this one was so cool. The idea was to write two related 50-word drabbles, which I loved. They're based on my fic "Over You" which you don't need to have read at all to understand this.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Ulrich," Yumi whispers, but she won't make eye contact as she holds open the door.

"Please don't do this," he begs, even as he holds the suitcase in hand.

But she won't turn back now.

His only option is to walk down those steps and never look back.

"Are you sure?" Aelita whispers, which isn't quite the answer Odd was expecting. He takes it in stride, smiles bright, and says,

"Trust me, Aelita. There's no one I would rather have. So," he hefts the ring, still looking hopeful, and asks again, "Marry me?"

She smiles and says yes.


	53. Cold Front

Drabble # random  
Prompt: Cold Front  
I started this one when I was trying to do my Yumi/Jeremy drabble. It kind of went rouge, so I made it it's own thing.

* * *

They don't know why Xana had to attack on a day at the pool, nor why Jeremy was convinced there was no time to change first. Despite protest, they go as is, and to everyone's horror Jeremy has to admit they might just arrive in Lyoko this way.

"Ready?" Jeremy asks. His tone lacks the sympathy the others think he should feel.

Beside the scanners Yumi's head shakes and Odd tries not to stare at a bikini clad Aelita, and Ulrich, sighing at them all, says the one thing on everyone's mind.

"Just don't let it be the ice sector."


	54. Plague

Drabble #35  
Prompt: Plague  
I like this a lot. Like my first drabble, this one centers on the lyoko gang coming together (even if the circumstances are different). Together, just as they should be.

* * *

They never wanted to be plagued by an enemy thought long gone. Yet here they were- barely any time had passed and the old conflicts were back in full swing, new enemies (friends even?) lurking in the shadows.

Six bodies, much too young for this fight, sit gathered around a computer, full of far too many secrets, and they float in despair.

And then it happens.

Eyes meet. Hands brush. Gazes steal.

Yes, they have this fight. But they have each other, too.

And so fight they shall.

Their old enemy has returned, and they will not let him win.


End file.
